Latest news with #MSS
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
A year in, Haiti mission leader warns of shortfalls in troops, funds, gear
FILE PHOTO: People protest against gang-related violence and to demand the resignation of Haiti's transitional presidential council, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, May 15, 2025. REUTERS/Jean Feguens Regala/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Members of a neighbourhood watch drive up a hill while patrolling a residential area after gangs torched homes, amid a surge in violence that has displaced approximately 1.3 million people in six months, according to U.N. estimates, in Furcy, Haiti June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Jean Feguens Regala/File Photo PORT-AU-PRINCE - The commander of the United Nations-backed security mission in Haiti, mandated to fight powerful armed gangs in the nation, on Thursday called on more countries to lend their support as he marked one year since the first troops deployed. The first deployment of police from Kenya, which is leading the mission, arrived last June, over a year and a half after Haiti's government had first requested urgent support. "As a new model, funded by voluntary partners, the mission faces challenges - including funding, personnel and logistics - that are being addressed to enable the mission to achieve its objectives on schedule," Godfrey Otunge, commander of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, told reporters at an event in Port-au-Prince, the capital. While the U.N. aimed for the mission, which was sent to aid the Haitian National Police, to reach some 2,500 troops, well under half are currently deployed. More than 3,000 personnel were pledged in initial commitments. In a note sent to the U.N. Security Council last week, Kenyan President William Ruto said 991 troops were currently deployed, mostly Kenyans but also 150 Guatemalans, 78 Salvadorans, 23 Jamaicans, six Bahamians and two Belizeans. He said that many were on standby because existing contracts for logistical support could not provide for them. "The MSS is also operating below the required capabilities in terms of equipment and operational support necessary to execute the mission effectively," Ruto added. "The equipment levels stand at below 30% of planned capabilities." Despite the lack of resources, Otunge said on Thursday that the mission had managed to establish two key strategic bases in the Artibonite department, the area outside the capital worst-hit by the violence. Haitian leaders have repeatedly called for the voluntary mission to be converted into a formal U.N. peacekeeping mission in order to shore up resources, but efforts stalled at the Security Council after opposition from Russia and China. Gang violence in Haiti has displaced some 1.3 million people from their homes, fueling hunger and insecurity, while hospitals have shut their doors, and much of the economy, judicial system and government remain paralyzed. Some 580,000 people were displaced before the first deployment. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
A year in, Haiti mission leader warns of shortfalls in troops, funds, gear
PORT-AU-PRINCE, June 26 (Reuters) - The commander of the United Nations-backed security mission in Haiti, mandated to fight powerful armed gangs in the nation, on Thursday called on more countries to lend their support as he marked one year since the first troops deployed. The first deployment of police from Kenya, which is leading the mission, arrived last June, over a year and a half after Haiti's government had first requested urgent support. "As a new model, funded by voluntary partners, the mission faces challenges - including funding, personnel and logistics - that are being addressed to enable the mission to achieve its objectives on schedule," Godfrey Otunge, commander of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, told reporters at an event in Port-au-Prince, the capital. While the U.N. aimed for the mission, which was sent to aid the Haitian National Police, to reach some 2,500 troops, well under half are currently deployed. More than 3,000 personnel were pledged in initial commitments. In a note sent to the U.N. Security Council last week, Kenyan President William Ruto said 991 troops were currently deployed, mostly Kenyans but also 150 Guatemalans, 78 Salvadorans, 23 Jamaicans, six Bahamians and two Belizeans. He said that many were on standby because existing contracts for logistical support could not provide for them. "The MSS is also operating below the required capabilities in terms of equipment and operational support necessary to execute the mission effectively," Ruto added. "The equipment levels stand at below 30% of planned capabilities." Despite the lack of resources, Otunge said on Thursday that the mission had managed to establish two key strategic bases in the Artibonite department, the area outside the capital worst-hit by the violence. Haitian leaders have repeatedly called for the voluntary mission to be converted into a formal U.N. peacekeeping mission in order to shore up resources, but efforts stalled at the Security Council after opposition from Russia and China. Gang violence in Haiti has displaced some 1.3 million people from their homes, fueling hunger and insecurity, while hospitals have shut their doors, and much of the economy, judicial system and government remain paralyzed. Some 580,000 people were displaced before the first deployment.
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
24 hours in pictures, 26 June 2025
24 hours in pictures, 26 June 2025 Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. A child watches robotic human faces on display in a shop in the Xintiandi area, which translates to 'new heaven and earth' and is known for trendy, high-end shopping and restaurants in Shanghai, China, 26 June 2025. Picture: EPA/ALEX PLAVEVSKI Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown, Soweto, commemorates the signing of the Freedom Charter, 26 June 2025. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen People attend the exhibition 'Tim Burton. The Labyrinth', in Mexico City, Mexico, 25 June 2025. 'The Labyrinth', is an immersive exhibition of passageways with insects and enigmatic doors by American film director Tim Burton. Picture: EPA/ISAAC ESQUIVEL A model presents a creation by Spanish designer Agata Ruiz de la Prada during the start of 'Cali Fashion District 2025' in Palmira, Colombia, 25 June 2025. Picture: EPA/ERNESTO GUZMAN Orlando Pirates fan Phineas Duba recycles boxes for a living along Barry Hertzog in Florida, Roodepoort, 26 June 2025. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/ The Citizen Barry Hendricks SASACOC (President) at the celebration of Olympic Day at Sascoc House on June 26, 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Olympic Day is a global celebration of sport and getting active. The day promotes unity, health, and inclusion through sport. (Photo by Gallo Images/Frennie Shivambu) A man and a woman ride a motorcycle amid rainfall in Lahore, Pakistan, 26 June 2025. Heavy monsoon rains have impacted major cities across Pakistan, including Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi, triggering urban flooding and power outages. Authorities remain on high alert. Picture: EPA/RAHAT DAR A number of students, environmental activists and volunteers plant mangroves during a mangrove conservation campaign in Aceh Besar, Indonesia, 26 June 2025. The mangrove planting is a part of a mangrove conservation campaign by the National Electricity Company (PLN), together with the Indonesia Nature Conservation Agency, local communities and students, with the goal of planting 10,000 mangrove trees in Baet Village, Aceh Besar Indonesia as mangrove areas are disappearing from Aceh's coastline due to coastal erosion. Picture: EPA/HOTLI SIMANJUNTAK Members of the Haitian National Police (PNH) protect the advance of a patrol composed of four armored vehicles with Kenyan police officers in Puerto Principe, Haiti, 24 June 2025 (issued 25 June 2025). Haiti marks one year since the first contingent of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission arrived in the Caribbean country on 25 June 2024. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said the shortfalls in resources and equipment limited the MSS ability to contain the violence, with gangs extending their reach beyond Port-au-Prince and into the central regions, leaving a record 1.3 million people displaced and at least 2,680 people were killed between 01 January and 30 May 2025. Picture: EPA/MENTOR DAVID LORENS People attend the funeral ceremony of the remains of approximately 200 German soldiers at the war cemetery in Stare Czarnowo in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, 26 June 2025. It is one of 13 cemeteries established in Poland by the German Commission (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgraeberfuersorge), to which the exhumed remains of German soldiers killed during World War II are transferred. At the cemetery in Stary Czarnowo, which was opened in 2006, the remains of approximately 27,000 people have been buried so far. Picture: EPA/Marcin Bielecki In this photo issued 25 June 2025, dancers with the first all-male pointe company Males on Pointe rehearse in Mexico City, Mexico, 24 June 2025. Males on Pointe seeks to celebrate diversity, taking inspiration from 'alebrijes' in its choreographies during Mexico Pride week. Mexican artist Pedro Linares created the first 'alebrijes' or fantastical sculptures of animals, people or imaginary creatures which he painted in vibrant colors and intricate patterns, approximately 100 years ago. Picture: EPA/SASHENKA GUTIERREZ A young girl plays in the water fountain on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 25 June 2025. Temperatures in the greater Boston area are predicted to reach over 90F (32C) for the third consecutive day, an official heat wave. Picture: EPA/CJ GUNTHER MORE: 24 hours in pictures, 25 June 2025
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Peddling fear: China's top security agency mocks CIA spy recruitment drive as ‘farcical'
China's top intelligence agency says a recent CIA campaign aimed at recruiting informants from China is a sign the US spy agency is desperately looking for ways to survive as Washington slashes budgets. 'Yet, as resources shrink, the CIA has doubled down on hyping the 'China threat' as its lifeline, peddling fear to Congress and taxpayers to carve out a larger slice of the budget pie,' the Ministry of State Security (MSS) said in an article published on Wednesday on its official WeChat account. The post, published in both Chinese and English, referred to a CIA effort to recruit Chinese spies as 'yet another farcical performance'. 03:25 New CIA videos seek to lure Chinese officials to leak secrets to US New CIA videos seek to lure Chinese officials to leak secrets to US It was the first time that the MSS, which has become increasingly active on social media, has responded to the advertisements – two Chinese-language videos posted by the CIA on social media last month. The videos were intended to exploit possible dissatisfaction among Chinese officials with the ruling Communist Party leadership and encourage them to leak secrets to the United States. A public recruitment drive, launched by the CIA last October, posted instructions online on how to safely contact the US spy agency in the hope of attracting informants from China, Iran and North Korea. Last month, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian condemned the recruitment drive, calling it 'a serious violation of China's national interests and a blatant political provocation'.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
China Accuses CIA Making "Absurd" Attempt To Recruit Spies
Beijing accused the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on Wednesday of making an "absurd" attempt to recruit Chinese citizens via videos posted to social media. China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) said the placement of what amounted to job advertisements on social media platform X was an "amateurish gambit" to convince people to spy for the Americans. "These two painstakingly crafted 'job ads', riddled with clumsy rhetoric and slanderous claims, lay bare the absurd logic and paranoid delusions of American intelligence agencies," the ministry said in a statement posted to its official WeChat account. "Once again, the self-proclaimed 'world's top intelligence power' has turned itself into an international laughingstock through its baffling incompetence," it added. CIA director John Ratcliffe said that the videos posted last month -- which implored the sharing of state secrets -- were aimed at "recruiting Chinese officials to help the US". Beijing condemned the posts at the time as "naked political provocation". The MSS vowed on Wednesday to "resolutely protect the nation's strategic interests and core secrets". It warned the CIA that "any attempt to incite betrayal among the Chinese people is doomed to fail, and any plot to infiltrate China for intelligence will prove futile". The intelligence agency's diatribe was among the top trending items on China's X-like Weibo platform on Wednesday, with users mocking the alleged job ads. "Can we organise a group of scammers to carry out a telecom fraud against the CIA? We can trick the US and make a little money at the same time," one wrote. The United States and China have long traded accusations of espionage. In April, security officials said they had implicated three US "secret agents" in cyberattacks during February's Asian Winter Games in the northeastern city of Harbin. The MSS said in March it had sentenced to death a former engineer for leaking state secrets to a foreign power.
